Devotionals: The Valley of Vision

O GOD, Thy main plan, and the end of thy will       is to make Christ glorious and beloved         in heaven   where he is now ascended,   where one day all the elect will behold his glory   and love and glorify him for ever. Though here I love him but little,   may this be my portion at […]

O MY SAVIOUR, Help me.     I am so slow to learn,       so prone to forget,       so weak to climb; I am in the foothills when I should be     on the heights; I am pained by my graceless heart,   my prayerless days,   my poverty of love,   my sloth in the heavenly race,   my sullied conscience,   my […]

O GOD OF TRUTH, I thank thee for the holy Scriptures,     their precepts, promises, directions, light. In them may I learn more of Christ,   be enabled to retain his truth   and have grace to follow it. Help me to lift up the gates of my soul     that he may come in   and show me himself […]

O GOD, I know that I often do thy work         without thy power,   and sin by my dead, heartless, blind service,     my lack of inward light, love, delight,     my mind, heart, tongue moving       without thy help. I see sin in my heart in seeking the approbation     of others; This is my vileness, to make men’s […]

BLESSED SPIRIT OF GOD, Four evils attend my ministry —       The devil treads me down by   discouragement and shame     arising from coldness in private meditation. Carelessness possesses me   from natural dullness and dimness of spirit;     because in the past I have met with success       and been highly regarded,     so that it does not matter if […]

O GOD, MY EXCEEDING JOY, Singing thy praises uplifts my heart,     for thou art a fountain of delight,       and dost bless the soul that joys in thee. But because of my heart’s rebellion I cannot always praise thee as I ought; Yet I will at all times rest myself in   thy excellences, goodness, and loving-kindness. […]

O MY LORD, Let not my ministry be approved only by men,       or merely win the esteem and affections         of people; But do the work of grace in their hearts,   call in thy elect,   seal and edify the regenerate ones,   and command eternal blessings on their souls. Save me from self-opinion and self-seeking; Water the […]

MY MASTER GOD, I am desired to preach today,       but go weak and needy to my task; Yet I long that people might be edified     with divine truth,   that an honest testimony might be borne     for thee; Give me assistance in preaching and prayer,   with heart uplifted for grace and unction. Present to my view […]

UNCHANGEABLE JEHOVAH When I am discouraged in my ministry         and full of doubts of my self,   fasten me upon the rock of thy eternal election,     then my hands will not hang down,     and I shall have hope for myself and others. Thou dost know thy people by name,   and wilt at the appointed season     lead […]

O LORD, I live here as a fish in a vessel of water,       only enough to keep me alive,   but in heaven I shall swim in the ocean. Here I have a little air in me to keep me breathing,   but there I shall have sweet and fresh gales; Here I have a beam of […]

O LORD GOD, Thou art our Preserver, Governor, Saviour,         and coming Judge. Quieten our souls to call upon thy name; Detach us from the influence of the flesh     and the senses; Impress us with the power of faith; Promote in us spirituality of mind   that will render our services acceptable to thee,   and delightful and […]

CREATOR, UPHOLDER AND PROPRIETOR OF ALL THINGS, We cannot escape from thy presence         and control,     nor do we desire to do so. Our privilege is to be under the agency     of thy omnipotence,   righteousness, wisdom, patience, mercy and grace; For thou art Love with more than parental affection. We admire thy goodness,   stand in awe […]

O GOD, We bless thee,         our Creator, Preserver, Benefactor, Teacher,   for opening to us the volume of nature     where we may read and consider thy works. Thou hast this day spread before us the fuller pages     of revelation,   and in them we see what thou wouldest     have us do,   what thou requirest of us,   what […]

O LORD, We commune with thee every day,         but week days are worldly days,   and secular concerns reduce heavenly impressions. We bless thee therefore for the day sacred     to our souls   when we can wait upon thee and be refreshed; We thank thee for the institutions of religion   by use of which we draw near […]

KING OF GLORY, DIVINE MAJESTY, Every perfection adorns thy nature       and sustains thy throne; The heavens and earth are thine, The world is thine and its fullness. Thy power created the universe from nothing; Thy wisdom has managed all its multiple concerns,   presiding over nations, families, individuals. Thy goodness is boundless;   all creatures wait on […]